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Glite Dictionary
Ursus arctos middendorffi

Ursus arctos middendorffi

9.9
A very large brown bear that lives on Kodiak Island and nearby coasts of Alaska and British Columbia
  • noun
  • /ˈɜr.səs ˈɑrk.tos ˌmɪ.dɛnˈdɔr.fi/
  • Specialized
translation icon : Ursus arctos middendorffi
  • Conservation efforts have helped protect the habitat of Ursus arctos middendorffi on Kodiak Island.

Examples

  • Researchers track the population health of Ursus arctos middendorffi as an indicator of ecosystem stability.

  • The Ursus arctos middendorffi is renowned for its immense size and strength.

  • The Ursus arctos middendorffi is known for its massive size.

  • Many tourists visit Alaska to see the Ursus arctos middendorffi in its natural habitat.

  • Many tourists visit Alaska to see the Ursus arctos middendorffi in its natural habitat.

  • Conservation efforts have helped protect the habitat of Ursus arctos middendorffi on Kodiak Island.

  • Researchers track the population health of Ursus arctos middendorffi as an indicator of ecosystem stability.

Synonyms

Kodiak bear
vsUrsus arctos middendorffi
  • US
1 5.5

A very large brown bear that lives on Kodiak Island and nearby coasts

uses the scientific form while also mentioning the common island name
Ursus middendorffi
vsUrsus arctos middendorffi
  • Specialized
9.9

A very large brown bear that lives on coasts of Alaska and British Columbia

uses a fuller scientific name giving species and subspecies detail
Kodiak
vsUrsus arctos middendorffi
  • US
7.7

A very large brown bear that lives near the sea in Alaska, especially on Kodiak Island

uses the full scientific name rather than the short familiar island name
Alaskan brown bear
vsUrsus arctos middendorffi
  • US
3.2

A very large brown bear that lives on the coasts of Alaska and British Columbia

is a precise scientific name for the same bear rather than the regional label

Surface Forms

Ursus arctos middendorffi singular
Ursus arctos middendorffi plural

Morphology

Ursus + arctos + middendorffi

The Latin binomial contains 'Ursus' (the bear genus) and 'arctos' (bear/arctic), so a learner who knows those constituents would reasonably infer the phrase refers to a kind of bear. However, 'middendorffi' is a patronymic subspecies epithet and the specific information that it denotes the Kodiak/Alaska subspecies is taxonomic detail not recoverable from the parts alone, making the overall expression only partly predictable.

Etymology

Ursus arctos middendorffi comes from older words and a person's name: Ursus and arctos both mean 'bear', and middendorffi is the surname of the scientist who studied them. So the full name literally means 'Middendorff's brown bear', which is why it refers to the large Kodiak brown bear.